I had never felt so alone, we were reaching the end of the decade and portable devices had won, even the ‘Smart’ Internet TVs didn’t know what to do.

In the summer of 2007 I had my longest standby mode to date… 9 whole days I wasn’t turned on once!

–Tweet. Tweet–

In my darkest hour (somewhere between 1-2am) I even considered an electrical surge, fry my systems; give portable streaming devices what they wanted and end it once and for all.

–Tweet–

But then… Something changed. I was switched on. I was viewed.

It happened suddenly, without warning, people were turning on their TVs, phone in hand… actually watching their TVs!

— Tweet. Tweet. Tweet. Tweet. Tweet. Tweet–

It was happening everywhere, Live TV viewing was back on the menu, real-time events were being watched, reality TV, talent shows, and broadcasted award ceremonies… even Prime Time Drama!

Television had now entered the era of Social TV, viewing TV was no longer about viewing for personal pleasure, but for online social engagement.

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr, social networks once at war with TV for audience attention had actually come to its aid.

We joined forces, Live TV, Live Social Networking, Live Event.

Audiences couldn’t get enough; I was put in calendars and used on check-in apps.

Tweets started going through the roof, 100 tweets per second, 300 tweets per second, 500 tweets per second!

It was unbelievable, week after week; fans would flock to the nearest TV to watch their favorite programme so they could discuss them in real time online. From Beyoncé’s Baby Bump, to Walter White’s crystal blue empire and Pretty Little Liars “A-Team”, fans could not get enough of Social TV.

Friendships were made, businesses were founded and bridges were re-built.

Yes, TVs could once again breath a sigh of relief, we have entered the world of Social TV, and we’re only just getting started…

Epilogue – “I love it when a plan comes together”

And so we reach the end of our story; the rise, the fall and the apparent rise again of Event Television.

It’s been an interesting 70+ years and quite a story to tell.

TVs are still not out of the woods as more and more people are viewing content online and streaming onto portable devices; but don’t count us out yet…

Now we have a weapon and we’re not about to let it go.

There’s a war being waged on TV audiences and now we’re back in the running.

And this time, we’re not afraid to play dirty… And we intend to get our revenge.